Syntax tree

The grammar preserves the structure needed by editors and code tools without deciding whether a directive is valid for a particular installed Logrotate version.

A complete tree

This configuration contains ordinary directives and a raw script block:

/var/log/application.log {
  daily
  rotate 7
  postrotate
    systemctl reload application
  endscript
}

Its named tree is:

(source_file
  (rotation_block
    paths: (path_list
      (path_pattern))
    body: (directive
      name: (directive_name))
    body: (directive
      name: (directive_name)
      arguments: (directive_arguments
        (argument
          (integer))))
    body: (script_block
      directive: (script_directive)
      script: (script_body)
      terminator: (endscript))))

Fields give consumers stable navigation points. A rotation_block has paths and body; a directive has name, optional operator, and optional arguments; an include_directive has a path.

Public named nodes

Node	Meaning
source_file	Complete configuration input
rotation_block	One or more paths followed by a directive body
include_directive	An include keyword and path
directive	A known, unknown, or vendor-specific directive
directive_arguments and argument	Values following a directive name
path_list, path_pattern, and quoted_path	Rotation targets and include paths
script_block, script_directive, and script_body	A raw shell script section
unterminated_script_block	Recovery node for a missing endscript
integer and size	Numeric values recognized without semantic interpretation
comment and escape_sequence	Preserved source details

The generated node-types.json is the exact machine-readable contract.

Error recovery

Tree-sitter returns a tree even when input is incomplete. A missing closing brace or malformed path can introduce an ERROR or missing node. A script directive without endscript produces unterminated_script_block so the remaining script text stays available to an editor.

Consumers should inspect has_error or the equivalent binding property when correctness matters. Interactive editors can still use intact subtrees while the user repairs the file.

Intentional acceptance

An unknown name such as vendor_rotate_policy parses as a normal directive. The grammar checks the shape of the language, not the directive registry of one Logrotate release. A language server or installed Logrotate process can provide version-aware diagnostics later.

An include path also remains valid syntax when its target does not exist. Resolution depends on the host filesystem and is outside the parser.